Beware the Batman-Conundrum
by Tang Ri Shan
Summary: A new mayor has been elected in Gotham city, but Batman has suspicions about him. These suspicions grow when the mayor becomes targeted by a vigilante who has no face and a seemingly deadly agenda. Who is this faceless man? Where did he come from? Is he Batman's ally or his enemy? And why does he ask so many questions? This is a tribute to Beware the Batman. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Tang Ri Shan

Conundrum

(Personally I love the Beware the Batman series, and I loved the Question from JLU so, why not combine two of my favorite DC characters? Enjoy!)

**Chapter 1**

Night had fallen on Gotham City. Aside from the occasional growl of a car engine, there was little to disturb the peace that existed between the skyscrapers. While most of the city was ablaze with lights, in parts of Old Gotham, the lights didn't work

BANG! DRIIINNNNNNN!

The peace was suddenly shattered by an explosion followed by the screech of an alarm. Smoke billowed from a Bodega that now sported a jagged hole in place of a front window. Four men burst through the window, causing more glass to break, and took off down the street.

"Come on Moe, move it!" The leader yelled over his shoulder as they ducked into a dark alley.

"I'm runnin' as fast as I can!" The last man called back in between the deep breaths he was taking.

"Shut up, both of you!" A third man rasped as he rat, his feet pounding against the pavement as they wheeled left and raced up a sidestreet. "We don't want _him_ hearing us"

Suddenly something dropped down in front of the robbers, cape whipping in the draft caused by the fall.

"Too late for that" Batman growled, as he rose up in front of the terrified men. He fixed them with a dark scowl, the eyes of his cowl narrowed almost to slits.

One of the men turned to run but there was a metallic whisper and after a few steps he found a sword blade in his face, held by a black-haired woman in a leather jacket and mask.

"Going somewhere?" Katana smiled as she forced the man back to his partners. All four men glanced nervously from the caped man to the sword-wielding woman, as if deciding which of the two would be the least dangerous.

"The money" Batman finally said, holding a hand to Moe, who was utterly trembling with fear.

"Y-you want it? TAKE IT!" Moe whirled around thrust the sack at Katana with all his might. There was a muffled _ooofff_ as the swordswoman, caught by surprise, toppled backwards. With that, Moe bolted, barging past herand into the open street.

"Moe! Get back here!" One of the others yelled, but Moe didn't listen. He just wanted to get away. Batman's scowl deepened and he tossed a batarang at the fleeing hood, but by a sheer stroke of luck, Moe ducked and the weapon sailed over his head.

"You missed" Katana joked. Batman scowled at her. She nodded, and then turned to chase after Moe, still smiling.

Batman turned back to the three remaining thugs. "Hard or easy, you choice" He growled at the three thugs, who turned tail and ran. Batman snorted before giving pursuit.

Moe ran as fast as he could. He could hear Katana's footsteps behind him and that only motivated him to run faster.

He burst from the dark alley onto the street and instantly his eyes were filled with bright light and his ears full of squealing brakes. Moe jumped back as a taxi cab slid to a stop where he had been standing seconds before. Moe spotted the glowing "On Duty" sign and the roof of the taxi and his heart leapt as he wrenched open the door and dove onto the cracked leather seat.

"Go! Go!" He yelled to the driver and the Taxi's wheels spun on the concrete. Katana emerged from the alley just in time to see the Taxi screech away in a cloud of exhaust. She growled in disgust, then reached for her earpiece.

"Oracle, I need an ID on a vehicle"

Moe peaked over the back of the seat as the taxi raced into the night. When he could no longer see Katana, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Where you headin'?" The voice of the cab driver made him turn.

"Take me to 16 S Sturbridge Lane." He replied, then pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Boss, its Moe" He spoke in a low voice, glancing up at the driver, who didn't appear to hear him. "Yeah, we had a little setback."

"What kind of setback?" Moe cringed as a growl came from the man on the other end.

"Batman showed, we had to bail!" Moe replied, his eyes darting wildly between the phone in his hand and the back of the driver's head. His eyes widened as the voice on the other end spoke.

"Get over here! Now!"

"Yeah boss, I'm on my way" Moe replied just before he hung up. Sighing he glanced up in time to see a street sign dart by.

A street sign marked Sturbridge Lane.

"Hey! You missed the turn!" Moe exclaimed, whipping his head around to glance at the disappearing street sign. The driver didn't answer.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Sturbridge lane is back there!" Moe yelled at the driver.

"I know" The driver answered matter-of-factly. But instead of braking to turn around, he accelerated.

"What are you doing?" Moe clutched the seat in terror as the driver zoomed across a busy intersection, causing horns to blare and other cars to screech to a halt. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Are you sure you want that question answered?" The driver replied as he spun the wheel causing the cab to fishtail as it spun around a tight curve.

"Why are you doing this?" Moe yelled, his eyes wide.

"Wrong question" The driver replied, still in a sullen tone, he suddenly jerked the wheel causing the cab to narrowly miss a large truck.

_Who is this guy?_ Moe wondered. "Look pal!" He leaned forward and grabbed the driver's shoulder. "I don't know what your deal is, but you need to…" His voice faltered as the driver slowly turned to look at him. Moe recoiled in horror. The driver's face was blank. No eyes, no nose, no mouth, no features of any kind. "Who-what _are_ you?" Moe stammered, darting as far back as he could. The driver didn't answer, but he turned back to face the road, then tossed something over his shoulder, a small silver sphere. Moe's eyes widened as the sphere burst open with a hiss releasing a thick cloud of green smoke. Moe choked as the smoke bean to burn his lungs and his vision began to blur. The instant before he lost consciousness he heard the driver say.

"_That_ is also the wrong question".


	2. Chapter 2

Tang Ri Shan

Conundrum

(Personally I love the Beware the Batman series, and I loved the Question from JLU so, why not combine two of my favorite DC characters? Enjoy!)

**Chapter 2**

"And now, an announcement that all Gothamites have heard twice before. Ever since the resignation of Harvey Dent, Gotham City has been struggling to find, and to hold, a leader as both candidates to follow Dent have resigned due to unforeseeable circumstances"

Batman watched the screen on the Batcomputer shift from the announcer to pictures of a middle aged man and younger woman, both with worried looks on their faces.

"Now a third candidate has come to try his luck. Legal Advisor Wesley Fermin announced today his intention to run for mayor" The screen shifted again, this time showing a young man with dark brown hair and a firm face standing in front of a podium.

"Gotham City has descended into chaos. Yes, chaos is the only word that can describe it. Despite the valiant efforts of Gotham's finest, and from its other 'allies', Gotham remains little more than a political war zone whose instability is threatening to shatter the sense of tranquility we have achieved. Well, I for one do not plan to stand by as this great city crumbles. I intend to return this city to greatness, but I cannot do this alone. I need you!" A chorus of cheers erupted. "Walk with me, talk with me, let us rebuild this city together!" Wesley Fermin smiled and waved at the crowd before him as they broke into applause. Flashbulbs popped, illuminating the handsome face, which the camera froze and zoomed in on.

"Since arriving in Gotham from Hub City only last month, Mr. Fermin has already gained immense popularity. A few more speeches like this and he'll be in the Mayor's office in no time. The question is, will the same misfortune encountered by the last two candidates befall Mr. Ferrin as well?"

Batman pressed a button, killing the screen.

"Third time's the charm?" Katana pondered aloud from his left, humor in her voice.

"Let's hope so" Batman mused, typing a command on his keyboard. "The sooner Gotham has a new mayor, the sooner we can turn our attention to more important matters."

"Like finding Harvy Dent?"

"Yes" Batman replied, but he sounded distant. He turned to find Alfred staring at him with narrowed eyes. "What?"

"I've known you your entire life, Bruce." Alfred replied. "Long enough to tell when you're distracted by something".

Batman sighed. "It just doesn't make sense. Both former candidates, Bartholomew Magan and Jacqueline Szats, were aspiring politicians." Batman paused as pictures of the two people appeared on the screen. He zoomed in on the man. "Bart especially was known for taking risks" The screen shifted to the woman. "And Jackie , a former detective, was known for her stubbornness, never yielding on a case she was confronted with."

"Your point?" Katana asked, clearly not understanding.

Batman sighed, then explained. "My point, is that these were two people who knew how dangerous the world of politics is, yet would never cave in like this. What would make two people known for never giving up suddenly give up?"

"Maybe they think the position is jinxed." Katana joked as her pager buzzed. She glanced down at the screen, then answered. "Yes Oracle?"

"Katana" Barbara Gordon's youthful voice crackled through the speaker. "Remember that thug that got away from you last night? Well, you'll never guess where he is now"

**At That Moment**

Barbara Gordon, AKA Oracle, pressed the record button on her phone, then casually flipped it around and held it so the camera was gazing at the one way glass wall that ran through the police interrogation room. She sat with two uniformed officers inside the 'hidden' section of the interrogation room, watching her father, James Gordon interrogate a man dressed in a dark coat and cap.

"Moe Mitchelson" James Gordon began. "You were caught on security tape running the Esmeralda Bodega in Old Gotham. Do you deny this?"

Moe looked scared, and his eyes kept glancing around the room like something was going to leap out of the shadows and attack him. He whimpered, but didn't answer the question.

"Moe!" Gordon banged his fist on the steel table in front of him and Moe cried out in fear. Next to Barbara, one of the officers chuckled. "Did you, or did you not rob that store?"

"Y-yeah" Moe stammered "S-so what if I did? What're you gonna do to me?" His speech was rapid, and his hands were shaking.

"How does jail sound?" Gordon replied sarcastically. But to everyone's surprise, Moe's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Yeah. Jail's good. I'll take Jail. Anything's better than facing _him_ again" Moe shuddered as he spoke.

"Him?" Gordon raised an eyebrow. "You mean Batman?"

"Uh uh" Moe shook his head. "Worse". His eyes glanced from wall to wall, before he leaned in and murmered. "The No-faced man"

"Huh?" Gordon cocked his head, looking confused.

"The No-Faced Man!" Moe yelled leaping to his feet and slamming his hands down on the table, making Gordon jump. "You know what I mean! It was a man, with no face! He tried to kill me!" Moe paused, breathing heavily, sweating freely. Gordon stared at him, wide eyed. Behind the glass the two officers were trying very hard not to laugh. Barbara shot them an annoyed look.

"So, did this No-Face man have a name?" Gordon finally recovered.

Moe shook his head. "Didn't give no name. I asked his name and he said 'that's the wrong question', or somewhat. Look, just take me to jail already, before he comes back!" He held out his hands and gave Gordon a pleading look.

Gordon gazed down at Moe's outstretched hands, than up at his pleading face. "And that's _all_ you can tell us?" He said slowly. Moe nodded desperately, fear beginning to etch onto his face despite the smile still plastered on it. Gordon sighed. "Fine. Take him to Blackgate!" He called to the wall. A few minutes later, the pair of officers entered, slapped handcuffs on Moe, and led him out of the room. A few seconds later Gordon, facing the wall, said "How much of that did you hear?" He turned to find Barbara standing in the doorway.

"How'd you know I was here?" Barbara asked, shutting off her phone behind her back.

"Sweetie, I didn't become police commissioner due to my rugged good looks." Barbra snorted and raised an eyebrow and Gordon chuckled. "I wouldn't be a very good cop if I couldn't figure out that someone was eavesdropping on me" Barbra's cocky grin faded.

"Sorry dad, but I figured just listening wouldn't hurt" She argued. "Besides, you know I can handle myself."

"I know" Gordon replied. "and I promise, If I need help, you'll be one of the first people I come to, okay?"

Barbra brightened at this. "So, who was that weirdo?"

"Eh, some thug who robbed a store last night. He escaped from Batman but wound up in front of police headquarters early this morning ranting about almost being killed. You know the rest"

Barbra opened her mouth to comment but froze when a small hissing noise reached her ears. "Dad, you hear that?" She asked, then she gasped. Gordon spun around and they both stared. Lying on the steel table was a plain white business card. Well, it _had_ been plain, but now something was beginning to appear on the surface of the card. A thick, black Question Mark.

"Where'd _that_ come from? The card was blank when we pulled it from Moe's pocket". Gordon pondered.

Barbra frowned, then her eyes lit up. "Dad, wasn't Moe talking about how the 'no-faced guy' kept referring to questions?"

Gordon and his daughter stared at each other, each seeing clear confusion in the other's gaze.


	3. Chapter 3

Tang Ri Shan

Conundrum

(Personally I love the Beware the Batman series, and I loved the Question from JLU so, why not combine two of my favorite DC characters? Enjoy!)

**Chapter 3**

"A 'No-faced' man?" Batman asked, raising an eyebrow beneath his cowl.

"That's what the guy said" Barbara answered as she walked up the steps to the roof of the police building. "A no-faced man who has a knack for questions. You know anyone like that?"

"No" Batman answered "And that worries me."

"Why?" Katana asked from the monitor in front of her. "That thug had it coming."

"Perhaps, but it's how he did it that concerns me. He scares the man practically to death, something I would do, then leaves a calling card that's easy to find."

"He's sending a message." Alfred reasoned from behind them.

"A message? For who?" Katana asked.

"You think it was for Gotham PD?" Barbara added, pausing on the stairway, her eyes widening.

"More likely it was for Batman" Alfred replied.

"But what kind of message?" Barbara asked.

"He's challenging us." Batman scowled. "We have a new player in the game"

**Meanwhile**

Commissioner Gordon was finishing a report on Moe's statement when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in" He said, looking up as the door opened. He expected to see a policeman, but was surprised when a red-haired man in a brown suit appeared in the doorway.

"Comissioner Gordon?" He asked, smiling.

"Yes. And you are?" Gordon's tone was guarded as he rose from his desk.

"Victor Sage, from the Gotham Gazette." The man came forward and shook Gordon's hand. "Sorry to bother you, but can I have two minutes of your time?"

"Sure. What brings you here?" Gordon asked.

"I'm writing a story about Wesley Fermin." Victor explained, taking a seat. "I would just like to know what you think of him."

"What _I_ think of him?" Gordon repeated. "Why are you interested in getting _my_ opinion?"

Victor frowned. "Why not? I figured you'd be the person to ask, especially with the rumors floating around concerning his..." Victor cut himself off, suddenly gazing out the window.

"What are you looking at?" Gordon wheeled around in his chair to glance out at the night. He didn't see anything, but he didn't relax. Instead, a feeling of unease began to creep down his spine.

"Sorry" Gordon turned back as Victor leaned backwards in his chair. "I thought I saw Batman on that rooftop, but I'm probably just imagining things." He chuckled. "Have you ever met Batman sir?"

"A few times" Gordon responded with what he hoped was a flat tone. Victor stopped chuckling and cleared his throat. "So what were those _rumors_ you were talking about?"_  
_

"Well, as you know, Wesley Fermin came from Hub City" Victor began. "I have a colleague there who was telling me about his..."

Victor and Gordon jumped as the office door flew open. A police officer burst in.

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" Gordon snapped.

"Sorry sir, but we've got a 10-203 downtown" The officer stammered, panting slightly.

Gordon leapt to his feet. "Get the others mobilized. I'll join you in a moment" The officer nodded and vanished.

"What's going on?" Victor asked as Gorgon picked up his gun from the desk in front of him.

"Urgent situation. Sorry Victor, but I'm going to have to reschedule our chat" Gordon replied as he shrugged into his long brown overcoat.

"Of course. I understand completely" Victor smiled following Gordon to the door.

**An hour later**

Batman crouched on the lip of the building, peering through binoculars at the spotlight-illuminated windows of the building across the street. The whine of police sirens rang against his ears as he slowly peered this way and that through the high-powered lenses.

_There!_ Batman paused and snapped back two windows, just in time to see a shadow dart out of sight.

"Visual! Fourth floor!" Batman reported as he leapt off the rooftop. Pulling a grapnel from his belt, he fired. The cable-hook zipped through the air and buried itself in the stone above the window. Pressing the button, Batman let the winch inside the gun pull him up, crashing through the window. Batman whirled as he landed, sweeping the legs of a surprised thug out from under him. The man went down with a thud. Crouching, Batman locked eyes with a second thug, who just stood there. Batman scowled, his eyes narrowing to slits. The thug took off running. "Katana, where are you?" Batman muttered before following.

Elsewhere in the building, Katana burst through a doorway, but ducked backwards as gunfire erupted and splinters flew around her. Peeking through the doorway, she caught a glimpse of at least three gun barrels pointing at her. They erupted into life simultaneously and a haze of blue flashes zipped through the open doorway, peppering the wall.

"Great"Katana muttered to herself as she reached for a batarang.

"_Katana! Where are you?"_ Batman's voice crackled through the radio.

"I'm on the second floor, but I'll be a little delayed" She replied, reaching to pull her sword from its sheathe.

WHAM! Katana froze as a large impact followed by a thud reached her ears. Gunfire still rang, but the blasts stopped coming through the door. There was a second THUD followed by a scream of terror and a clatter. The gunfire stopped. Then all was silent. Katana peeked through the doorway and saw two men lying on the floor, out cold.

As Katana eased into the room, she heard a scuffling coming from a door on the other side of the room. As Katana ran towards the door, she heard two shots ring out, then a cry of pain and a clatter.

"Did you think you could get away with it? Did you think _I_ wouldn't find out?" A deep voice growled. Then Katana heard another sound, a sound that made her stop in terror, the sound of a knife being drawn.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Katana raced towards the far door as a second voice, high pitched in terror, cried out, echoing through the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Tang Ri Shan

Conundrum

(Personally I love the Beware the Batman series, and I loved the Question from JLU so, why not combine two of my favorite DC characters? I own no characters in this story. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 4**

Katana burst through the door as another scream pierced the air. A gray-clad figure looked around at her. Below him, one of the thugs she had confronted in the other room struggled weakly, still held in the iron grip of the masked figure, his face a mask of fear and sweat. But Katana didn't see any of that, all she saw was the face of the figure, or rather, the _lack_ of one. Where his face should have been was a void, no eyes, no nose, no mouth. He had hair, and a strong chin, but that was all she could see. His face was blank.

"Who-what are you?" Katana stammered, not even trying to mask the surprise in her voice.

The figure didn't answer at first, instead he chuckled. "Who am _I? _Who are _you_?" He asked, still holding onto the thug, who was whimpering in fear.

_"A faceless man with a knack for questions"_ Barbara's voice echoed in Katana's mind as she drew her sword. "I'll ask the questions here!" She replied.

The stranger laughed, Katana gritted her teeth and stalked forward, sword flashing in the lights. The stranger stopped laughing and just stared at her. "Who are you?" She asked again.

"Why should I answer that?" The stranger replied. "You don't see me asking who _you_ are"

"Yes, you did" Katana corrected him.

"True, but you asked twice, _I_ only asked once" The stranger added.

"Meaning what?" Katana cocked her head slightly, now confused.

"Meaning, that I am not as entitled to answer your question as you are to answer mine" The stranger reasoned.

Katana raised an eyebrow. This man was talking nonsense! He must be crazy! "Let him go" She growled, motioning toward the stranger's captive. The man glanced down, then dropped the thug, who crawled away as quickly as he could. "Keep your hands where I can see them" Katana ordered.

The stranger cocked his head in a quizzical way. "Do all Ex-CIA operatives give as many orders as you do?" He asked.

Katana's eyes opened wide beneath her mask. "How did you...?"

"I didn't" The stranger cut her off. "But if you keep asking questions, you will keep getting answers". Suddenly, the man tensed, moving his head slowly to the side, his hand reaching for something at his belt. At the same time he took a step backwards.

"Stay put!" Katana barked, but the man didn't answer, he just kept staring. Katana's blood ran cold as she suddenly realized that he wasn't staring at her, but at something _behind_ her. Katana whirled around, her sword at the ready, but there was no one there. Katana suddenly heard running footsteps at her back and glanced back to see the faceless man's overcoat disappear through an open doorway she hadn't noticed earlier. He'd tricked her! Katana cursed herself for falling for his trick and gave chase.

**Meanwhile**

Batman eased open a door on the fourth floor, he peeked in and gunfire erupted. Ducking back through the doorway, he snapped out a pair of batarangs from his belt and waited. After a minute the firing stopped, and batman, in a fluid motion, dove through the door, and threw both batarangs as gunfire erupted again. There were twin thuds and cries of pain as Batman pivoted and charged at three masked men, two of whom stood cradling their arms. The third thug, the man he had chased before, saw him coming. A look of terror crossed his face and he raised his weapon, too late. As he fired, Batman took a running leap and slammed into him like a linebacker. Still moving as the man went flying, he swung around, slamming his fist into one of the men he had disarmed. Both men went down, leaving him with a third man, who was hastily reloading his weapon, but his fingers were shaking so badly that he actually dropped the gun. Batman allowed a snort of amusement to escape before he launched himself at the man. As his fist collided with the man's shoulder and he dropped to the ground, his radio buzzed.

_"Batman, are you there?_" Katana's voice echoed in his ear

"I'm here, what is it?" Batman replied as he tired up the three unconscious thugs.

_"You remember that no-faced man that Oracle was talking about? He's here!"_ Katana's voice suddenly sounded angry.

"Where?" Batman whirled towards the door leading out into the hallway.

"_On the second floor, heading up the stairway"_ Katana replied as Batman dashed down the hallway. _  
_

"Flush him out, I'll cut him off" Batman ordered as he burst through a door into the stairwell. Glancing up, he saw that it was too narrow for a grapnel, and he started racing up the steps.

As he rounded a corner, he saw a flash of grey dart into an open door, which then slammed shut behind it. Batman glanced up the stairs to find Katana staring down at him from the landing. "He's in there!" Katana pointed to the door. Batman nodded then rammed against it with his shoulder. The door flew open and both heroes burst in, but the hallway was empty. "Where'd he go?" Katana asked, looking around wildly.

"He's gone" Batman growled as he scanned the hallway, but stopped as a flash of white caught his eye. Lying on the floor a short distance away was a white business card with something on it. A black question mark. "Interesting" He mused as he knelt down to pick up the card, staring at the question mark.

"What's interesting?" Katana asked.

Batman didn't answer right away, but he flipped the card over. There were words on the back. "_Where is the best place to strike down a hydra?"_ He read aloud. His eyes narrowed.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Katana asked as she and Batman glanced at each other.

**Meanwhile**

A short distance away a figure in a long coat and a fedora dashed through a dark alleyway away from the building. Glancing behind him to make sure no one was following, he allowed himself to stop and catch his breath. Turning back to face the building, he reached for his belt buckle and pressed a hidden button. Witha faint hiss a cloud of green gas began to emerge, wrapping itself around the man like a shroud.

"I hope you got the message Batman" The figure mused as the gas enveloped him. "There's not much time left"


	5. Chapter 5

Tang Ri Shan

Conundrum

(Personally I love the Beware the Batman series, and I loved the Question from JLU so, why not combine two of my favorite DC characters? I own no characters in this story. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 5**

Wesley Fermin pounded his desk with his fist. His eyes flashed their annoyance as he hung up the phone. "That's the third group this week Batman's taken out!" He growled, clenching his fists. "It's just like what I left in Hub City"

"Calm yourself Mr. Fermin." Wesley looked up at the well-dressed gentleman who sat across from him. The darkened room cast shadows on the man's face, but it was clear from his tone that he was upset as well.

"How can I calm down?" Wesley ranted, pounding his desk again. "I came here to Gotham to start anew, to put my demons behind me, but they still hunt me, even now!"

"Calm down!" The stranger yelled, and Wesley stopped talking. "You're not making sense!"

"You're right" Wesley took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. "It's just, back in Hub City I encountered a vigilante like Batman" He shivered as memories began flooding back.

"Really? "The stranger rose. "Who was he?"

"I...don't really know" Wesley admitted. "At least, I don't know his name. I only saw him in person once, but I see him all the time in my dreams." Wesley shivered again. "He dismantled all my operations in Hub City, brick by brick"

"Go on" The stranger muttered.

"...Took down all my men like it was nothing!" Wesley ranted, not noticing his companion had spoken. "Some nights I see him, standing at the edge of my bed, staring at me with that faceless look of his, asking me question after question!" Wesley paused taking a deep breath. "But you can relate, can't you?" He turned to smile at his companion.

"Yes" The stranger agreed. He leaned forward in his chair, crossing his hands under his chin.

"So, how can we deal with _two_ vigilantes?" Wesley asked.

"We have an idea" The stranger replied.

**Meanwhile**

Jason Burr closed his eyes and turned away from his computer screen. Yawning and stretching, he cricked his neck and felt strain lift from his shoulders, like an invisible weight.

"Are you finished?" Jason opened his green eyes as Lady Shiva stepped out in front of him, a cold look in her eyes despite the smile on her face.

"Patience, things like this cannot be rushed". Jason replied, turning back to the computer and resuming his typing. He frowned. "These firewalls are better than I thought. Gotham Police have really updated their security."

"Keep trying Kobra" Shiva ordered.

"Yes Kobra" Both figures froze as a new voice reached their ears. Whirling around, Kobra and Shiva saw a thin cloud of brown smoke seeping through an open doorway. Lady Shiva's eyes widened as a figure stepped through the smoke, a figure with no face. "Keep trying". He repeated as he whipped out a bo staff.

"You? What ate _you_ doing here?" Shiva snarled, stalking towards him.

"You know him?" Kobra asked from behind her, his eyebrows raised.

"We've met" Shiva muttered.

"Still as blunt as ever, Shiva." The man mused, then laughed.

Shiva growled and lunged at the man, but he blocked her attacks with his staff and slipped behind her. Kobra leapt up to help her, but the vigilante turned and threw something at him. Kobra gasped as he felt cold metal explode against his chest, sending bands shooting cross his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Before he knew what was happening, his arms and hands were bound.

"Wh-what the...?" Kobra gasped as he struggled to get free, but if anything his struggling only seemed to make the bands tighten. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, still struggling. The faceless man gave a satisfied chuckled and turned, just in time to dodge a strike from Lady Shiva.

Shiva glanced at Kobra, struggling in his metal stright-jacket. "Someone has new toys" She commented, turning back to the faceless man.

"And new friends" He added, the tone of his voice indicating that he was smiling, if he had a mouth.

"So, are you here to settle our _unfinished buisness_?" Shiva asked, smiling as she assumed a fighting pose.

"Wrong question" The man replied, twirling his staff. "But a good idea" He added as he attacked, swinging his staff at Shiva, who neatly caught it, broke it, and punched the man hard in the face, sending him spinning to the floor.

"You couldn't beat me then, and you can't beat me now" Shiva gloated as she raised her foot ans swung in a devastating kick, but the man suddenly grabbed her foot seconds before it hit him. Shiva's eyes widened as she was thrown to the floor as the man rolled to his feet, using her leg as a ladder.

Hearing Kobra's gasp, the man glanced at him, then saw the screen behind him. "Hacking into Gotham Police database? Isn't that a little _low_ for the League of Assassin's new leader?" He asked, turning back to Shiva, who scowled at him. "Unless...wait. You're looking for the sword, aren't you?" Shiva scowled as the man laughed again. "What makes you think the police have the sword?" Shiva and Kobra perked up at this. The man sighed, and then whirled around, throwing something at the computer. It landed on the keyboard with a clatter and the screen suddenly began flashing red and an alarm began to whine.

Kobra glanced at the screen in horror, then turned to Shiva, his eyes wide. "He's triggered a firewall! It's locking us out!" Shiva curled her lips in anger, drawing a hissing breath through her teeth.

"That's not all it does" the man replied, and just when he finished speaking the device on the keyboard began beeping rapidly and a red light on top began flashing. Kobra gasped again and glanced desperately at Shiva who turned to face the man, only to see something metal flying at her. She raised her hands, a second too late. She felt the cold metal hit her chest and expand outwards, wrapping her in tight metal bands, stretching across her shoulders and fusing behind her back, straight-jacketing her faster than she could react.

"Enjoy the show" Shiva glanced up as the man gave a small bow, then turned towards the door, then stopped. "Oh, and Richard says hello" Shiva gasped, then flushed. She struggled at her bands, flexing her muscles, but the metal held. The faceless man chuckled at her grunted efforts. "Enjoy the show" He said, before darting through the door. Shiva watched him go, than both her and Kobra turned to stare at the device on the computer screen, the beeping, flashing device.


	6. Chapter 6

Tang Ri Shan

Conundrum

(Personally I love the Beware the Batman series, and I loved the Question from JLU so, why not combine two of my favorite DC characters? I own no characters in this story. Enjoy!)

**Chapter 6**

Shiva struggled uselessly against the metal bands holding her back. Kobra didn't struggle, he just sat there, staring at the blinking light as if mesmerized.

SLAM! Kobra jumped as the door burst off its hinges. Shiva glanced up as Batman leapt into the room, followed by Katana. The swords-woman smirked as she saw Lady Shiva struggling. "Looks like we missed the action". Then her eyes found Kobra and they widened beneath her mask. "You" She murmured.

"Who did this?" Batman asked, kneeling in front of Kobra. He reached for the metal bands but Kobra shook his head.

"The bomb" He glanced fearfully at the beeping device. Batman dashed to it, pulling his mini-computer from his belt. He hooked it up, then froze, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Katana asked as Batman turned around, clutching the device in his hand. He didn't answer, instead he threw the device to the floor. Shiva, Kobra and Katana visibly flinched as the device shattered, but there was no explosion.

"What did you do that for?" Kobra yelled, his eyes wide with terror. "We could have been killed!"

"Yes, we would have, _if_ that had actually been a bomb" Batman replied.

"What?" Katana and Kobra both exclaimed.

"We were baited here" Batman growled.

"Just his style" Shiva muttered. Everyone turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Batman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let me out and I'll tell you" Shiva replied, smiling.

"No thanks" Katana growled, but fell quiet when Batman glanced at her.

"You first" Batman growled, turning back to Shiva, whose smile widened.

"He's some kind of vigilante. Frankly I'm surprised you haven't met him before" She began as Batman bent down and pulled a hand-held laser from his belt.

"Who is he?" Batman asked as he began to burn through the metal with a laser.

"He calls himself the Question." Shiva rolled her eyes at the last two words. "He has no face, appears and disappears in a cloud of smoke, and delights in asking questions that are impossible to answer."

Katana frowned, thinking back to her encounter with the Question in that building.

"And _he_ defeated _you_?" Batman raised an eyebrow as he finished burning through one of the bands. Katana frown widened into a smile as Shiva's eye narrowed.

"He caught us by surprise" She admitted as Batman burned through another band. Shiva felt the metal retract, and lasted out.

OOFFFF! Shiva caught Batman on the jaw, knocking him across the room. Shiva smiled at Katana as she rose to her feet. "Kind of like that" She teased. Katana yelled in anger and lunged at Shiva, sword whistling through the air, but Shiva easily dodged each attack, still smiling.

"Still as sloppy as ever" Shiva said before taking a running start, leaping clear over Katana, and darting out the open door. "WAIT!" Kobra yelled, but Shiva didn't even pause to listen. Kobra stopped struggling as Katana turned to face him scowling, sword raised.

**A few hours later**

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt" Oracle joked as Katana recalled what had happened. Jason Burr, AKA Kobra had been transported to Blackgate, and Batman had called the Outsiders to meet at the Batcave. Batman was analyzing the metal that Question had used to trap Shiva and Kobra. Man-Bat and Metamorpho were standing around him, comparing notes.

"Interesting" Man-Bat hissed, raising a sliver of metal for a better look. "You say that this metal changes shape?"

"Yes, but it is as strong as steel" Batman replied, looking up from his microscope. "Have you seen anything like this?"

"Never" Metamorpho shook his block-like head. Man-Bat opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak a beeping from the computer made everyone glance at the screen.

"_Batman, analysis of the metal is complete_" A robotic voice droned from a small speaker. An image of the metal appeared on the screen. _"Scans show that while the majority of the metal is steel, the metal has been bonded with another material to make it flexible_"

"Computer, can you ID this material?" Batman asked, pressing a few keys. There was a whir, then the computer responded. _"Sorry Batman, but the material does not match anything in my database"_

"Bring the properties onscreen" Batman commanded and a group of formulas flashed onto the screen.

"Hmmm" Oracle turned to see Man-Bat stroking his chin, looking _very_ thoughtful. "Do you recognize that?" She asked. Everyone turned to look at him.

"It does look familiar" He admitted. "I know I've heard about this material before" He closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating. "But I just can't remember where"

Metamorpho snorted in annoyance and Oracle felt the corner of her mouth curl up in a grin. Metamorpho was not the most patient of mutants. "Are there any other clues to this guy?" He asked, turning back to Batman.

"Just this" Katana held up the device casing. "It's some sort of beeper".

As Oracle stared at the beeper, something began tugging at her psyche. She narrowed her eyes beneath her mask. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but there seemed to be something on the shell of the casing. Something that looked familiar. "Let me see that" She held out her hand. Katana handed her the casing, and she ran her fingers over it. Her eyes widened. Where she thought the casing was smooth, she felt a series of distinctive little ridges that felt familiar. Frowning, she pressed her thumb hard against the casing. When she pulled it away, there was a pattern in the skin of her thumb, a row of zeroes and ones. "Batman look!" She exclaimed rushing up to him. "The casing is covered in binary code!" Batman took the casing from her and examined it.

"She's right" He acknowledged, slipping the casing under the scanner. "Scan and project binary code pattern". He ordered and the computer whirred in response.

"Well spotted" Metamorpho nodded at Oracle and Katana smiled. Oracle felt her cheeks redden slightly.

The computer beeped. "_Scanning complete Batman, playing message now"_ A slightly fuzzy image appeared on the screen showing a shadowy figure in a brimmed hat sitting in a darkened room.

"Greetings" A husky voice rasped from the speaker. On the screen, the figure raised his head, but his face was still bathed in shadow. "If you are watching this, it means that you have a talent for seeing what many overlook. I would expect nothing higher from the stars of Gotham's law enforcement. I'm certain you have many questions, and as it happens, I have many answers. If you would like to hear them, I'll be watching the gigas latro, you are welcome to join me, just be sure to come alone. With Gotham's safety at stake, I'm certain that one of you will be very eager to see what the future holds." With that, the screen went blank.

"Okay, what was that all about?" Metamorpho asked. No one answered, but everyone turned to look at Batman.

"Good Question" He replied as he stared at the screen.


End file.
